Business Jet Traveler

Apps for booking charter flights on smartphones and tablets continue to mature as accepted wisdom loses weight: it turns out that more and more convenience-minded customers are indeed willing to consummate five- and six-figure transactions without speaking to a human.

It’s just after dawn on what promises to be a sunny South African summer day and I’m fueling up our 4x4 rental at a petrol station near the east-coast city of Durban. The attendant hands me a frosty bottle of Stoney ginger beer—so spicy that it makes my nose tingle—and asks where we’re heading.

Angel Jet Network (AJN), a Hong Kong-based charity providing transportation to medical care for underprivileged patients across the Asia-Pacific region, made its first flights last September. The flights carried orphans from the Chunhui Children’s Foundation to Chinese hospitals, where they were due to have major surgery.

You’ve long been able to obtain ultra-large-cabin comfort for around $10 million by converting a used regional commuter jet into a first-class executive aircraft. That has seemed like a hard-to-beat bargain for business jet travelers who crave roomy cabins—until now.

It’s a famous island in the Atlantic Ocean that’s the perfect outdoor summer playground—secluded yet accessible. Its 21 square miles boast more golf courses per mile than anywhere else in the world. This enchanting destination has hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, exciting equestrian matches, and a prestigious yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island.

Welcome to BJT’s fifth annual Book of Lists, a treasure trove of useful, funny, entertaining, and occasionally amazing information and trivia.
See the Photo Gallery below for a glimpse at some of the people, places, and items featured in this year’s Book of Lists.

EvoLux founder Ray Leavitt says he wants to make it easier for you to book a helicopter seat. He has created computerized platforms that let you either reserve the entire helicopter or open up a helicopter you’ve booked to friends or the general public to cut your costs. Leavitt claims to have 200 helicopters enrolled in the system in major metropolitan areas, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Miami. His goal is to get enough helicopters and passengers in the sky to bring down the cost for both.